Northeast Middle School closed after gas leak

Published 4:20 am, Tuesday, December 13, 2011

A gas leak at Northeast Middle School has resulted in the closure of school for the day Tuesday, with students who have not already been picked up being bused to a high school for the remainder of the day.

According to scanner traffic, a parent called 911 to report the odor of natural gas at about 8 a.m. City of Midland firefighters responded to the school, at 1305 E. Sugnet, where Consumers Energy workers also had been called. By about 8:30 a.m., three gas leaks had been located in the boiler room.

Between the emergency response and the locating of the leaks, Consumers Energy workers asked for students to be evacuated from the building.

Earlier this morning, Associate Superintendent Kathy Ellison said the school was contacting parents regarding the gas leaks and notifying them that students can be picked up at Northeast until 9 a.m. Any students who were not picked up by that time were taken to Midland High School, where they were free to stay for the day. The students who stay at the high school for the day will be bused home at their normal time, Ellison said.

The most important thing, Ellison stressed, is that parents stop to check in with an administrator before taking their students home.